Zhao noticed movement.
At first he thought they were shadows cast by the massive trunks, but soon he realized that the dark shapes sliding between the branches were something much more alive.
"The former predators," he murmured, watching how a large feline creature moved gracefully through the bark of one of the giant trees.
The creature he was now studying had been, in previous rings, one of the dominant predators. A Royal Shadow Cat of Gold 3 Rank. But now, in this transformed ecosystem, it had become something very different.
"They adapted."
It was apparently thinner than its relatives from lesser rings, or at least had much less fluffy fur, its muscles redesigned for climbing. Its claws had developed specialized hooks that allowed it to adhere to the smooth bark of the giant trees, and its eyes had evolved bigger to detect the mana fluctuations that indicated when a "fruit" was ripe for harvest.
The adaptation was remarkable to observe.
